


Destiny

by scifishipper



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-01
Updated: 2010-09-01
Packaged: 2017-10-11 09:56:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/111149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scifishipper/pseuds/scifishipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee embraces his destiny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Destiny

Adama and Lee sat in the darkened briefing room watching the footage that played over and over again, hearing Kara's final words and Lee's heartwrenching scream when her ship exploded.

"Which should I believe. Should I believe my heart or my eyes?" Adama asked, his voice, low and gravely, heavy with doubt.

The light of the screen flickered over Lee's face, each flash of destruction moving further and further from reality as his mind began to accept that she was alive again.

"Well, you know where I stand." A surety of belief swept through him. It didn't matter that all of his rational sense told him that it was wrong, that she must be a cylon, that no one could come back from that. None of those thoughts mattered as he remembered the feel of her solid in his arms and the sound of her voice, pissed off and confused that she was being arrested.

Lee walked slowly up the steps to sit at the end of the row, his father several seats away, feeling more connected to the man in the uniform now that he no longer wore one.

"I wanted to thank you for suiting up during the fight," Adama said after a moment.

Smiling wryly, Lee answered, "We needed everyone up there." And he was grateful that it had been him, suiting up because he'd needed to, driven by what he thought had been his instincts as a pilot and former soldier. He knew now that he'd needed to find her.

"We still do," his father said, shifting in his seat.

A soft clink drew Lee's eyes to the Senior Pilot pin his father had lain between them. He eyed the pin and half-smiled. "I took those off for the wrong reasons." It felt good to finally talk about what had transpired between them.

"Put them back on," Adama insisted.

Lee stared at the pin, thinking about how his life had been about to change, how he was no longer wearing a uniform, and how Kara's death had loosened the tight tether of control he'd always clung to. In the time between her death and life, he was calmer, more centered, less frantic, as the heavy weight of loss settled into his organs and pores, filtering out the things that did not matter. Some essential part of him had died with her and the need to be the perfect CAG and the perfect son were cast aside, leaving only Lee, an unfamiliar and tired man seeking purpose.

"I've been thinking about it, Dad, and I'm not sure I can leave Galactica now." He pressed his lips into a line and stared at the seat in front of him.

"Because of Kara?"

Lee's eyes flashed briefly to his father and he smiled. "Yeah." He paused and the phrase rushed out. "I love her, Dad." Gods, it felt good to say that words out loud and stop pretending they were just friends.

Feeling his father's expectant stare, he continued. "I thought I'd lost everything. I hadn't even realized that I was staying in the service for her. When she died . . ." He let the words linger in the air, not sure that his father would understand that his life had been measured and apportioned in the proper military fashion and that she had been the thread that had kept it from fraying.

"And if she's a cylon?" Adama's words were heavy with his own grief and fear.

He thought for a moment, before looking over to his father. "What if Zak had come back to us in that viper?" Adama's eyes locked onto his, dark and threatening, as if a hidden secret were about to be revealed. "If my brother had climbed out of that cockpit? Would it matter if he were a cylon? If he always had been? When it's all said and done, would that really change how we feel about him?"

Adama looked away, his frown deepening, and Lee continued. "I don't know what happens next, but I believe in Kara. I'll do whatever I have to do to keep her alive and safe. I don't care what she is, Dad. I only care that she's back."

With trembling fingers, Lee picked up the pin and tightened his hand around it.

"Kara being alive is all that matters."

:: :: :: ::

The heavy clank of the metal door followed Lee as he stepped into her cell. He'd heard about the incident in Roslin's quarters, her frantic screaming about their direction, and how Roslin had almost killed her again. A tight knot of fear and worry coiled inside him as he realized she might not be well and whole and maybe not even sane. Now, though, she looked peaceful, smiling faintly from her position on the floor, elbows resting lightly on her knees.

Kara spoke first, taking in his casual clothing, "I heard you were leaving."

Lee just smiled, eyes captured by her face, alive, luminous after so many weeks of grief.

"Gonna be Zarek's wingman," she teased.

"Something like that." Digging his hands deep into his pockets, his fingers traced the smooth edges of the pin he had yet to put back on.

He stared at her for a long moment, not sure how to begin, then looked away to gather his thoughts. "You know, I think I finally understand what you meant about having a destiny." Glancing over, he saw her nod. "There's something I need to do and the fact that I don't have an explanation why doesn't seem to matter anymore."

Kara's eyes softened and she gave him a knowing smile, "So say we all."

He appraised her, "So say we all."

Kara stood then and extending her hand to him. "Good luck on your journey, Lee Adama."

Lee's eyes opened wide; her words sounded like goodbye and he took a step back. "You mean my journey with you." It was a statement of fact not question and her hand dropped back to her side.

"What do you mean?" Her brow knitted in confusion.

"My destiny, Kara." He moved towards her and cupped her face in his hands. "My destiny is with you."

It was Kara's turn to step back in surprise and shook her head. "Me? Crazy earth girl back from the dead? That's nuts, Lee."

Her laugh did not deter him and just smiled at her, feeling more certain than ever that he was taking the right course. "Maybe it is. I don't know anymore." He closed the distance between them and spoke earnestly. "Everything I used to believe has changed, Kara. The Gods, the ones I never believed in, brought you back to me. They stripped my life bare and left me with nothing and then they gave me something back."

Her eyes widened and she turned away. "Lee, I don't know what they gave you. I don't know what I am."

Lee stepped around her and captured her gaze. "I don't care. We've all been through some crazy, crazy shit. I saw your viper explode. Don't care. I'm here. You're here. This is all that matters." " He raised a hand to brush against her dampened cheek.

Tears came heavily now, streaming down her face and he pulled her tightly against him. He reveled in their connection, feeling for the first time in his life that he was on the right path, following his heart instead of his head, listening to the quiet voice inside him that had always pushed him in her direction.

"We'll find it, Kara. We'll find earth. You and me."

He felt her stir at his words and she leaned back, eyes red and swollen with tears. "You and me?" she echoed.

"You and me. I don't care what it takes. We'll find a ship and I'll convince Dad and we'll go, Kara. I don't care how long it takes. I know this is what I need to do. What we need to do."

Her face slowly brightened and she smiled, "Our destiny?"

"Yeah, Kara," he said as he leaned his forehead against hers. "Our destiny."


End file.
